Protocol and interface between a LAN on motherboard (LOM) and a powered device (PD) for a personal computing device (PCD)

ABSTRACT

A Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) communication system dynamically provides power and data communications over a communications link. In a computing environment made up of one or more personal computing devices (PCD) and/or one or more powered devices (PD), power source equipment (PSE) determines an allocated amount of power to be supplied to each device. The personal computing devices include a unified LAN-On-Motherboard (LOM) that combines the functionality of a powered device (PD) controller of a conventional PD and a LOM of a conventional personal computing device into a single unified subsystem. The unified LOM includes a standard or universal interface between the LOM and PD controller so that different types of PD devices with differing functionality can be easily married to the LOM, without requiring significant hardware or software redesign. The universal or standard interface includes a physical interface between the LOM and the PD controller and a compatible communication protocol to govern the communications between the LOM and the PD controller. This allows the LOM to be mixed and matched with any PD controller, enabling OEMs to economically provide multiple product models with varying degrees of PD and LOM functionality.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/819,271, filed Jun. 26, 2007, which claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/816,879, filed Jun. 28, 2006,each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to personal computing devices(e.g., personal or laptop computers) in a Power over Ethernet (PoE)system, and more specifically to an interface and a protocol to governcommunications between a powered device (PD) controller and a LAN onMotherboard (LOM) in a personal computing device.

2. Related Art

Ethernet communications provide high speed data communications over acommunications link between two communication nodes that operateaccording the IEEE 802 Ethernet Standard. The communications mediumbetween the two nodes can be twisted pair wires for Ethernet, or othertypes of communications medium that are appropriate. Power over Ethernet(PoE) communication systems provide power and data communications over acommon communications link. More specifically, a power source device(e.g., power source equipment (PSE)) connected to the physical layer ofthe first node of the communications link provides DC power (forexample, 48 volts DC) to a powered device (PD) at the second node of thecommunications link. The DC power is transmitted simultaneously over thesame communications medium with the high speed data from one node to theother node.

The PSE device is often a data switch. Typically, a PSE on a switch iscalled an endspan device. The switch is typically a networking bridgedevice with data ports that can additionally have routing capability.The switch could have as little as two data ports or as many as 400 ormore data ports. It may have two or more rows of data ports, where adata port in an input row of data ports can be switched to any one ofthe data ports in an output row of data ports. Each data port caninclude a serial-to-parallel (i.e. SERDES) transceiver, and/or a PHYdevice, to support high speed serial data transport. Herein, data portsand their corresponding links can be interchangeably referred to as datachannels, communication links, data links, etc, for ease of discussion.

Typical PD devices that utilize PoE include Internet Protocol (IP)phones (Voice over IP (VoIP) phones), wireless access points, etc.Personal computing devices, such as personal or laptop computers, areanother example of PD devices. The integration of PoE into aconventional personal computing device raises several issues that mustbe overcome. For example, the hardware (H/W) architecture of theconventional personal computing device requires extensive modificationof the physical interface between the conventional personal computingdevice and the PD device to access the PoE subsystem. Likewise,implementation of PoE requires widespread modification of the software(S/W) architecture of the conventional personal computing device, suchas the communication protocol for governing a communication between theconventional personal device and the PD device to provide an example.Therefore, what is needed is a personal computing device that solves theaddresses the issues of integrating PoE into a conventional personalcomputing device.

Further, it is also desirable to provide flexibility for OriginalEquipment Manufacturers (OEM) to combine and market personal computingdevices (PCDs) with various levels and types of PoE functionality. Morespecifically, it is desirable to enable OEMs to easily mix and matchconventional personal computer (PC) components with PoE components ofvarying functionality. In order to do so, what is a needed is auniversal standard interface between the PD device and the correspondingPC components so that different types of PD devices with differingfunctionality can be easily married to PC components, without requiringsignificant hardware or software redesign. This will enable an OEM toeconomically offer various PCD models having differing levels of PoEfunctionality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical orfunctionally similar elements. Additionally, the left most digit(s) of areference number identifies the drawing in which the reference numberfirst appears.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional Power over Ethernet (PoE)system.

FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed figure of the conventional powertransfer from Power source equipment (PSE) to a Powered Device (PD) in aconventional PoE communications system.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a conventional computingarchitecture for a PCD without PoE, that can be implemented on a sectionof a mother board.

FIG. 4 illustrates a Power over Ethernet (PoE) configuration in acomputing environment, using a conventional personal computing device.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a Power over Ethernet (PoE) systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6A illustrates a more detailed figure of the power transfer from apower source equipment (PSE) to a personal computing device (PCD)according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6B illustrates a more detailed figure of a unified Local AreaNetwork(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 6C illustrates a more detailed figure of a unified Local AreaNetwork(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6D illustrates a more detailed figure of a unified Local AreaNetwork(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) according to a further exemplaryembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 illustrates a more detailed figure of the power transfer from apower source equipment (PSE) to a laptop computing device (LCD)according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 illustrates a Power over Ethernet (PoE) configuration in acomputing environment, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention.

The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers generallyindicate identical, functionally similar, and/or structurally similarelements. The drawing in which an element first appears is indicated bythe leftmost digit(s) in the reference number.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description of the present invention refers tothe accompanying drawings that illustrate exemplary embodimentsconsistent with this invention. Other embodiments are possible, andmodifications may be made to the embodiments within the spirit and scopeof the invention. Therefore, the detailed description is not meant tolimit the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is defined bythe appended claims.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conventional Power over Ethernet (PoE)system. More specifically, FIG. 1 illustrates a high level diagram of aconventional Power over Ethernet (PoE) system 100 that provides both DCpower and data communications over a common data communications medium.Referring to FIG. 1, the power source equipment 102 provides DC powerover conductors 104, 110 to a powered device (PD) 106 having arepresentative electrical load 108. The power source equipment 102provides PoE according to a known PoE standard, such as the IEEE802.3af™ standard, the IEEE 802.3at™ standard, the IEEE 802.3™ standard,a legacy PoE transmission, and/or any suitable type of PoE transmissionstandard to provide some examples. The power source equipment 102 and PD106 also include data transceivers that operate according to a knowncommunications standard, such as a 10BASE-T, a 100BASE-TX, a 1000BASE-T,a 10GBASE-T, and/or any other suitable communication standard to providesome examples. More specifically, the power source equipment 102includes a physical layer device on the PSE side that transmits andreceives high speed data with a corresponding physical layer device inthe PD 106, as will be discussed further below. Accordingly, the powertransfer between the power source equipment 102 and the PD 106 occurssimultaneously with the exchange of high speed data over the conductors104, 110. In one example, the power source equipment 102 is a dataswitch having multiple ports that is communication with one or more PDdevices, such as Internet phones, or a wireless access point.

The conductor pairs 104 and 110 can carry high speed differential datacommunications. In one example, the conductor pairs 104 and 110 eachinclude one or more twisted wire pairs, or any other type of cable orcommunications media capable of carrying the data transmissions and DCpower transmissions between the PSE and PD. In Ethernet communications,the conductor pairs 104 and 110 can include multiple twisted pairs, forexample four twisted pairs for 10 Gigabit Ethernet. In 10/100 Ethernet,only two of the four pairs carry data communications, and the other twopairs of conductors are unused. Herein, conductor pairs may be referredto as Ethernet cables or communication links for ease of discussion.

FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed figure of the conventional powertransfer from Power source equipment (PSE) to a Powered Device (PD) in aconventional PoE communications system. More specifically, FIG. 2provides a more detailed circuit diagram of the PoE system 100, wherethe power source equipment 102 provides power for PoE to PD 106 overconductor pairs 104 and 110. The power source equipment 102 includes atransceiver physical layer device (or PHY) 202 having full duplextransmit and receive capability through differential transmit port 204and differential receive port 206. (Herein, transceivers may be referredto as PHYs) A first transformer 208 couples high speed data between thetransmit port 204 and the first conductor pair 104. Likewise, a secondtransformer 212 couples high speed data between the receive port 206 andthe second conductor pair 110. The respective transformers 208 and 212pass the high speed data to and from the transceiver 202, but isolateany low frequency or DC voltage from the transceiver ports, which may besensitive large voltage values.

The first transformer 208 includes primary and secondary windings, wherethe secondary winding (on the conductor side) includes a center tap 210.Likewise, the second transformer 212 includes primary and secondarywindings, where the secondary winding (on the conductor side) includes acenter tap 214. The DC voltage supply 216 generates an output voltagethat is applied across the respective center taps of the transformers208 and 210 on the conductor side of the transformers. The center tap210 is connected to a first output of a DC voltage supply 216, and thecenter tap 214 is connected to a second output of the DC voltage supply216. As such, the transformers 208 and 212 isolate the DC voltage fromthe DC supply 216 from the sensitive data ports 204, 206 of thetransceiver 202. An example DC output voltage is 48 volts, but othervoltages could be used depending on the voltage/power requirements ofthe PD 106.

The power source equipment 102 further includes a PSE controller 218that controls the DC voltage supply 216 based on the dynamic needs ofthe PD 106. More specifically, the PSE controller 218 measures thevoltage, current, and temperature of the outgoing and incoming DC supplylines so as to characterize the power requirements of the PD 106.

Further, the PSE controller 218 detects and validates a compatible PD,determines a power classification signature for the validated PD,supplies power to the PD, monitors the power, and reduces or removes thepower from the PD when the power is no longer requested or required.During detection, if the PSE finds the PD to be non-compatible, the PSEcan prevent the application of power to that PD device, protecting thePD from possible damage. IEEE has imposed standards on the detection,power classification, and monitoring of a PD by a PSE in the IEEE802.3af™ standard and the IEEE 802.3™ standard, both of which areincorporated herein by reference.

Still referring to FIG. 2, the contents and functionality of the PD 106will now be discussed. The PD 106 includes a transceiver physical layerdevice 219 having full duplex transmit and receive capability throughdifferential transmit port 236 and differential receive port 234. Athird transformer 220 couples high speed data between the firstconductor pair 104 and the receive port 234. Likewise, a fourthtransformer 224 couples high speed data between the transmit port 236and the second conductor pair 110. The respective transformers 220 and224 pass the high speed data to and from the transceiver 219, butisolate any low frequency or DC voltage from the sensitive transceiverdata ports.

The third transformer 220 includes primary and secondary windings, wherethe secondary winding (on the conductor side) includes a center tap 222.Likewise, the fourth transformer 224 includes primary and secondarywindings, where the secondary winding (on the conductor side) includes acenter tap 226. The center taps 222 and 226 supply the DC power carriedover conductors 104 and 110 to the representative load 108 of the PD106, where the load 108 represents the dynamic power draw needed tooperate PD 106. A DC-DC converter 230 may be optionally inserted beforethe load 108 to step down the voltage as necessary to meet the voltagerequirements of the PD 106. Further, multiple DC-DC converters 230 maybe arrayed in parallel to output multiple different voltages (3 volts, 5volts, 12 volts) to supply different loads 108 of the PD 106.

The PD 106 further includes a PD controller 228 that monitors thevoltage and current on the PD side of the PoE configuration. The PDcontroller 228 further provides the necessary impedance signatures onthe return conductor 110 during initialization, so that the PSEcontroller 218 will recognize the PD as a valid PoE device, and be ableto classify its power requirements.

During ideal operation, a direct current (I_(DC)) 238 flows from the DCpower supply 216 through the first center tap 210, and divides into afirst current (I₁) 240 and a second current (I₂) 242 that is carriedover conductor pair 104. The first current (I₁) 240 and the secondcurrent (I₂) 242 then recombine at the third center tap 222 to reformthe direct current (I_(DC)) 238 so as to power PD 106. On return, thedirect current (I_(DC)) 238 flows from PD 106 through the fourth centertap 226, and divides for transport over conductor pair 110. The returnDC current recombines at the second center tap 214, and returns to theDC power supply 216. As discussed above, data transmission between thepower source equipment 102 and the PD 106 occurs simultaneously with theDC power supply described above. Accordingly, a first communicationsignal 244 and/or a second communication signal 246 are simultaneouslydifferentially carried via the conductor pairs 104 and 110 between thepower source equipment 102 and the PD 106. It is important to note thatthe communication signals 244 and 246 are differential signals thatideally are not effected by the DC power transfer.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a motherboard of a conventionalpersonal computing device. As shown in FIG. 3, a conventional personalcomputing device 300 includes a motherboard 302. The motherboard 302includes, among other chips/modules, a Local Area Network(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) module 304, a processor 314, a MemoryController Hub (MCH) 316, an Input/Output Controller Hub (ICH) 318, asuper input/output (I/O) module 320, a memory 322, and a AdvancedGraphics Port (AGP) 324.

The motherboard 302 includes the LOM module 304 to handle networkconnections. The LOM module 304 includes communication circuits, such asEthernet circuits to provide an example, within a motherboard ratherthan a separate network adapter. The LOM module 304 includes full duplextransmit and receive capability through differential transmit port 312and differential receive port 310. A transformer 306 couples high speeddata between a first conductor pair 104 and the receive port 310.Likewise, a second transformer 308 couples high speed data between thetransmit port 312 and a second conductor pair 110.

High speed data is passed between the LOM module 304 and theInput/Output Controller Hub 318. The Input/Output Controller Hub 318 maybe referred to as a south bridge. The Input/Output Controller Hub 318 isnormally given responsibility for slower devices that may include aPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, an Industry StandardArchitecture (ISA) bus, a System Management Bus (SMBus), a Direct MemoryAccess (DMA) controller, an Interrupt controller, an Integrated DriveElectronics (IDE) controller, a Real Time Clock, Power management,and/or a Nonvolatile BIOS memory to provide some examples. TheInput/Output Controller Hub 318 may also include support for a keyboard,a mouse, and serial ports, but normally these devices are attachedthrough the super I/O module 320. The super 110 module 320 providesconnections to peripheral devices that may include a CD-ROM drive aprinter, the mouse, the keyboard, a monitor, an external Zip drive, ascanner, an internal modem, a video controller, or any other suitableperipheral device to provide some examples.

The Memory Controller Hub 316, which may be referred to as a northbridge, is responsible for controlling communication between theprocessor 314, the Input/Output Controller Hub 318, the memory 322, andthe Advanced Graphics Port (AGP) 324. The Memory Controller Hub 316 mayalso contain an integrated video controller (not shown). The MemoryController Hub 316 may determine the number, speed, and type ofprocessor for the processor 314 and the amount, speed, and type ofmemory for the memory 322. The Input/Output Controller Hub 318 and theMemory Controller Hub 316 may be combined into a single chip to form asingle-chip design. The memory 322 contains storage for instructions anddata and may include, but is not limited to, static RAM (SRAM), dynamicRAM (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), non-volatile RAM (NVRAM), orRambus DRAM (RDRAM) to provide some examples.

The processor 314 interprets computer program instructions and processesdata. The processor 314 may include, but is not limited to, controlcircuits for executing instructions, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) formanipulating data, and registers for storing processor status and asmall amount of data to provide some examples. The processor 314 alsoexecutes or runs an operating system (O/S) of the personal computingdevice.

FIG. 4 illustrates a Power over Ethernet (PoE) configuration in acomputing environment, using a conventional personal computing device. Acomputing environment 400 includes conventional personal computingdevices 300.1 through 300.n, hereinafter referred to as the conventionalpersonal computing devices 300 and powered devices 402.1 through 402.m,hereinafter referred to as the powered devices 402. Computingenvironment 400 can be a conference room, for example, or any otherenvironment in which the conventional personal computing devices 300 arenetworked. The conventional personal computing devices 300 include anysuitable device, such as a desktop computer, that receives power from asource other than a communications link but is capable of datacommunications over the communications link.

As shown in FIG. 4, a network switch 404 and/or a power supply 406provides data communications to the conventional personal computingdevices 300 and PoE and data communications to the powered devices 402via a network switch 404. The network switch 404 may be any networkingswitch that is capable of providing PoE and data communications to thepowered devices 402. The network switch 404 includes one or more dataports to provide PoE and data communications to the powered devices 402.The network switch 404 may have as little as two data ports or as manyas 400 or more data ports.

The network switch provides data communications to the conventionalpersonal computing devices 300 through a corresponding interface 450.1through 450.n, hereinafter referred to as the interface 450, whereas thenetwork switch provides PoE and data communications to the powereddevices 402 through a corresponding interface 452.1 through 452.n,hereinafter referred to as the interface 452. The powered devices 402may include, but are not limited to Internet Protocol (IP) phones (Voiceover IP (VoIP) phones), wireless access points, powered devices, such aspersonal or laptop computers. Those skilled in the art(s) will recognizethat the powered devices 402 may include any suitable device that iscapable of receiving power and data communications over a communicationslink without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Thoseskilled in the art(s) will recognize that the interface 450 and/or theinterface 452 may include any communication link that can handle PoE,such as various types of Ethernet cabling, for example.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a Power over Ethernet (PoE) system, wherethe PD device is a personal computing device (PCD), such as a laptopcomputer, a handheld device, or any other portable or hand-held devicewith an embedded operating system. As shown in FIG. 5, the power sourceequipment 102 provides PoE and data communications over conductors 104,110 to a personal computing device (PCD) 502 having a representativeelectrical load 504. The power source equipment 102 provides PoEaccording to a known PoE standard, such as the IEEE 802.3af™ standard,the IEEE 802.3at™ standard, the IEEE 8023™ standard, a legacy PoEtransmission, and/or any suitable type of PoE transmission standard toprovide some examples. Those skilled in the art(s) will recognize thatthe personal computing device 502 as described herein can include apersonal computer, a laptop, a handheld computing device, or any othercomputing device with an embedded operating system, or any other powereddevice that is capable of receiving PoE and data communications over acommunications link without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

The personal computing device 502 also includes data transceivers thatoperate according to a known communications standard, such as a10BASE-T, a 100BASE-TX, a 1000BASE-T, a 10GBASE-T, and/or any othersuitable communication standard to provide some examples. Morespecifically, the power source equipment 102 includes a physical layerdevice (PHY) on the power source equipment side that transmits andreceives high speed data with a corresponding physical layer device inthe personal computing device 502, as will be discussed further below.Accordingly, the power transfer between the power source equipment 102and the personal computing device 502 occurs simultaneously with theexchange of high speed data over the conductors 104, 110.

FIG. 6A illustrates a more detailed figure of the power transfer from apower source equipment (PSE) to a personal computing device (PCD)according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Morespecifically, FIG. 6A provides a more detailed circuit diagram of thePoE system 500, where the power source equipment 102 provides PoE anddata communications to the personal computing device (PCD) 502 overconductor pairs 104 and 110. In this exemplary embodiment, the powersource equipment 102 provides power for PoE and for data communicationsover conductor pairs 104 and 110 in a substantially similar manner aspreviously described in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the personal computing device 500 includes aunified LOM 602. The unified LOM 602 combines the functionality of thePD controller 228, as discussed in FIG. 2, and the functionality of theLOM module 304, as discussed in FIG. 3, into a single unified subsystem.As such, the unified LOM 602 may be implemented using a single chip ordie or multiple chips or dies.

A data communication is passed between the unified LOM 602 and the ICHmodule 318. More specifically, the LOM module 616 has full duplextransmit and receive capability through differential transmit port 614and differential receive port 612. A transformer 604 couples high speeddata between the first conductor pair 104 and the receive port 612.Likewise, a second transformer 606 couples high speed data between thetransmit port 614 and the second conductor pair 110. The respectivetransformers 604 and 606 pass the high speed data to and from theunified LOM 602, but isolate any low frequency or DC voltage from thesensitive transceiver data ports.

The transformer 604 includes primary and secondary windings, where thesecondary winding (on the conductor side) includes a center tap 608.Likewise, the second transformer 606 includes primary and secondarywindings, where the secondary winding (on the conductor side) includes acenter tap 610. The center taps 608 and 610 supply the power for PoEcarried over conductors 104 and 110 to the representative load 504 ofthe personal computing devices 502, where the load 504 represents thedynamic power draw needed to operate personal computing devices 502. ADC-DC converter 230 may be optionally inserted before the load 504 tostep down the voltage as necessary to meet the voltage requirements ofthe personal computing devices 502. Further, multiple DC-DC converters230 may be arrayed in parallel to output multiple different voltages (3volts, 5 volts, 12 volts) to supply different loads 404 of the personalcomputing devices 502.

During ideal operation, a direct current (I_(DC)) 238 flows from the DCpower supply 216 through the first center tap 210, and divides into afirst current (I₁) 240 and a second current (I₂) 242 that is carriedover conductor pair 104. The first current (I₁) 240 and the secondcurrent (I₂) 242 then recombine at the center tap 608 to reform thedirect current (I_(DC)) 238 so as to power the personal computingdevices 502. On return, the direct current (I_(DC)) 238 flows from thepersonal computing devices 502 through the second center tap 610, anddivides for transport over conductor pair 110. The return DC currentrecombines at the second center tap 214, and returns to the DC powersupply 216. As discussed above, data transmission between the powersource equipment 102 and the personal computing devices 502 occurssimultaneously with the DC power supply described above. Accordingly, afirst communication signal 244 and/or a second communication signal 246are simultaneously differentially carried via the conductor pairs 104and 110 between the power source equipment 102 and the personalcomputing devices 502. It is important to note that the communicationsignals 244 and 246 are differential signals that ideally are noteffected by the DC power transfer

FIG. 6B illustrates a more detailed figure of a unified Local AreaNetwork(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) according to an exemplary embodimentof the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6B, the unified LOM 602includes a LOM 616 and a PD controller 618. In this exemplaryembodiment, the LOM 616 and the PD controller 618 are implemented on asingle die or on a single chip.

It is often desirable to implement the unified LOM 602 using multipledies or multiple chips by fabricating the LOM 616 and the PD controller618 on multiple dies or within multiple chips. For example, the PDcontroller 618 may be implemented using a 100V process, whereas the LOM616 may be implemented using a 10V process.

Referring back to FIG. 6B, the LOM 616 communicates with the PDcontroller 618 via interface 650. Likewise, the PD controller 618communicates with the LOM 616 via interface 652. Those skilled in theart(s) will recognize that LOM 616 and the PD controller 618 maycommunicate with one another using a single or bi-directional interfacewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

FIG. 6C illustrates a more detailed figure of a unified Local AreaNetwork(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) according to another exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. In this exemplary embodiment, theLOM 616 and the PD controller 618 are implemented on multiple dies or asmultiple chips.

The LOM 616 communicates with the PD controller 618 via interface 658.Likewise, the PD controller 618 communicates with the LOM 616 viainterface 660. Those skilled in the art(s) will recognize that LOM 616and the PD controller 618 may communicate with one another using asingle or bi-directional interface without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

FIG. 6D illustrates a more detailed figure of a unified Local AreaNetwork(LAN)-On-Motherboard (LOM) according to a further exemplaryembodiment of the present invention. In this exemplary embodiment, theLOM 616 and the PD controller 618 are implemented on multiple dies or asmultiple chips. In this exemplary embodiment, an optional opto-isolator620 may be used to bypass an isolation boundary between the LOM 616 andthe PD controller 618. In particular, the opto-isolator 620 bypasses theisolation boundary by converting an input from an electrical signal toan optical signal. Then optical signal is then converted back to anelectrical signal to bypass the isolation boundary.

Referring back to FIG. 6D, the LOM 616 communicates with the optionalopto-isolator 620 via interface 662. The optional opto-isolator 620passes the communication onto the PD controller 618 via interface 668.Likewise, the PD controller 618 communicates with the optionalopto-isolator 660 via interface 670. The optional opto-isolator 620passes the communication onto the LOM 616 via interface 664. Thoseskilled in the art(s) will recognize that LOM 616 and the PD controller618 may communicate with one another using a single or bi-directionalinterface without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.In those exemplary embodiments that do not require the optionalopto-isolator 620.

The interface 650, the interface 652, the interface 658, the interface660, the interface 662, the interface 664, the interface 668, and/or theinterface 670, may include, but is not limited to, a physical interfaceand a communication protocol to govern communications between the LOM616 and the PD controller 618. The physical interface may be implementedas a serial interface and may be governed by, but is not limited to,1-Wire, HyperTransport, Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) Bus, PCI Express(PCIe), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) Bus, Universal Serial Bus(USB), FireWire i.Link or IEEE 1394, or any other suitable serialcommunication protocol to provide some examples. Alternatively, thephysical interface may be implemented as a parallel interface and may begoverned by, but is not limited to, Extended ISA or EISA, IndustryStandard Architecture (ISA), Low Pin Count (LPC), MicroChannel (MCA),MBus, Multibus, NuBus or IEEE 1196, Peripheral Component Interconnect(PCI), S-100 bus or IEEE 696, SBus or IEEE 1496 VESA Local Bus (VLB),VMEbus, the VERSA module Eurocard bus or any other suitable parallelcommunication protocol to provide some examples.

In addition to the various serial and parallel architectures, thephysical interface (for interfaces 650, 652, 658, 660, 662, 664, 668,670) is voltage and frequency agnostic. In other words, any suitablevoltage level or signal frequency can be used for the physicalinterface, based on the specific application at hand. For example, lowvoltages can be used on the physical interface for low powerapplications. Additionally, the signal frequency of the physicalinterface can be increased or decreased to accommodate higher or lowerbandwidth and data rate requirements for the interface. Additionally,various and differing messaging protocols can be used for thecommunications protocol.

Providing a compatible physical interface between the LOM 616 and the PDcontroller 618 and a compatible communication protocol to govern thecommunication between the LOM 616 and the PD controller 618 allows forthe seamless integration of the LOM 616 and the PD controller 618 into asingle unified subsystem. For example, a LOM 616 having an PC serialinterface may communicate with any suitable PD controller 618 capable ofreceiving communications over the I²C serial interface. This allows forthe LOM 616 to be integrated with any PD controller 618 so long as thephysical interface and the communication protocol are also compatible.In other words, so long as the physical interface between the LOM 616and the PD controller 618 and the communication protocol to govern thecommunication between the LOM 616 and the PD controller 618 arecompatible, the LOM 616 can be mixed and matched with any PD controller618. Similarly, a PD controller 618 having an I²C serial interface maycommunicate with any suitable LOM 616 capable of receivingcommunications over the I²C serial interface. This allows for the PDcontroller 618 to be integrated with any LOM 616 so long as the physicalinterface and the communication protocol are also compatible. In otherwords, so long as the physical interface between the PD controller 618and the LOM 616 and the communication protocol to govern thecommunication between the PD controller 618 and the LOM 616 arecompatible, the PD controller 618 can be mixed and matched with any LOM616.

Stated another way, the LOM/PD interface described herein is capable ofproviding a universal or standard interface that enables a singleplatform for various combinations of LOM and PD devices that can bemarried around the universal LOM/PD interface. Accordingly, OriginalEquipment Manufactures (OEMs) can offer multiple product lines havingseveral variations of PoE capabilities around a common LOM, or severalvariations of LOM/PC capabilities around a common PD, with minimalimpact on the software or hardware designs because the interface wouldbe standard. For example, products with multi-power level PoE supportcould be offered for a common LOM/PC, or multiple LOM/PC variations(WLAN, 10G Ethernet, etc.) could be offered for a common PD.Accordingly, the standard interface enables OEMs to economicallyleverage their existing system architectures and offer several productvariations for different market segments, all built around the standardLOM/PD interface.

Referring back to FIG. 6A, the unified LOM 602 may be viewed as a singleunified subsystem including the LOM module 616 and the PD controller618. As such, the unified LOM 602 seamlessly integrates PoE into apersonal computing device by managing PoE through existing structure ofthe personal computing device, such as software drivers and AccessProtocol Interfaces (API), to provide some examples. In other words, theLOM 602 includes programmable registers and messages that may be readusing existing software drivers and Access Protocol Interfaces of thepersonal computing device, thereby eliminating a need to develop newdrivers and APIs.

As discussed in FIG. 2, the PD controller 228 monitors the voltage andcurrent on the PD side of the PoE configuration and provides thenecessary impedance signatures during initialization. Similarly, theunified LOM 602 monitors operational parameters, such as the voltage andthe current of the personal computing device and provides the necessaryimpedance signatures during initialization, so that the PSE controller218 will recognize the personal computing device as a valid PoE device,and be able to classify its power requirements.

FIG. 7 illustrates a more detailed figure of the power transfer from apower source equipment (PSE) to a laptop computing device (LCD)according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Morespecifically, FIG. 7 provides a more detailed circuit diagram of the PoEsystem 500, where the power source equipment 102 provides PoE and datacommunications to a laptop computing device (LCD) 702 over conductorpairs 104 and 110. In this exemplary embodiment, the power sourceequipment 102 provides PoE and data over conductor pairs 104 and 110 ina substantially similar manner as previously described in FIG. 1 andFIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 7, the laptop computing device 702 includes a unifiedLOM 712. Unified LOM 712 operates in a substantially similar manner asthe unified LOM 602. The operation and implementation of the unified LOM712 is previously described above in FIG. 6A through FIG. 6C. The LCD702 also includes a PoE power module 704. The PoE power module 704 caninclude, for example, a power regulator 706, a power source selector708, and a battery charger 710. The power regulator 706 may beoptionally inserted before the load 504 to step down the voltage asnecessary to meet the voltage requirements of the LCD 702. Further,multiple power regulators 706 may be arrayed in parallel to outputmultiple different voltages (3 volts, 5 volts, 12 volts) to supplydifferent loads 504 to the LCD 702. Power, such as the direct current(I_(DC)) 238, can be delivered to the battery charger 710 within the PoEpower module 704, in order to charge a battery, for example.

FIG. 8 illustrates a Power over Ethernet (PoE) configuration in acomputing environment, according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent invention. A computing environment 800 includes personalcomputing devices 802.1 through 802.n, hereinafter referred to as thepersonal computing devices 802, and the powered devices 402. Computingenvironment 800 can be a conference room, for example, or any otherenvironment in which the personal computing devices 802 are networked.The personal computing devices 802 include any suitable device, such asa the personal computing device (PCD) 502, the laptop computing device(LCD) 702, or any other suitable device that receives power for PoE andfor data communications over a communications link.

As shown in FIG. 8, a power supply 806 provides power for PoE and fordata communications to the personal computing devices 802 and to thepowered devices 402 via a network switch 804. The network switch 804 maybe any networking switch that is capable of providing PoE and datacommunications to the personal computing devices and/or the powereddevices. The network switch 804 includes one or more data ports toprovide PoE and data communications to the personal computing devicesand/or the powered devices. The network switch 804 may have as little astwo data ports or as many as 400 or more data ports.

The network switch provides power for PoE and for data communications tothe personal computing devices 802 through a corresponding interface850.1 through 850.n, hereinafter referred to as the interface 850. Thoseskilled in the art(s) will recognize that the interface 850 may includeany communication link that can handle PoE, such as various types ofEthernet cabling, for example. Similarly, the network switch 804provides PoE and data communications to the powered devices 402 throughthe interface 452.

CONCLUSION

While various embodiments of the present invention have been describedabove, it should be understood that they have been presented by way ofexample, and not limitation. It will be apparent to persons skilled inthe relevant arts that various changes in faun and detail can be madetherein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.Thus the present invention should not be limited by any of theabove-described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only inaccordance with the following claims and their equivalents.

1. A unified LAN-On-Motherboard (LOM) that is implemented as part of aPowered Device (PD) of a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) system, comprising: aLOM; and a Powered Device (PD) controller coupled to the LOM via aphysical interface, wherein a communication protocol is configured togovern a communication between the LOM and the PD controller, andwherein the physical interface and the communications protocol areconfigured and arranged to provide a universal interface that enablesthe LOM to be selectively mated with multiple types of PD controllers.2. The unified LOM of claim 1, wherein the physical interface comprises:a serial interface.
 3. The unified LOM of claim 1, wherein the physicalinterface comprises: a parallel interface.
 4. The unified LOM of claim1, wherein the communication protocol comprises: an Inter-IntegratedCircuit (I²C) protocol.
 5. The unified LOM of claim 1, wherein the PDcontroller is configured to monitor operational parameters.
 6. Theunified LOM of claim 5, wherein the PD controller is configured tocommunicate the operational parameters to the LOM via the physicalinterface using the communication protocol.
 7. The unified LOM of claim5, wherein the LOM is configured to communicate the operationalparameters via a second physical interface using a second communicationprotocol.
 8. The unified LOM of claim 7, wherein the LOM is configuredto communicate the operational parameters to power source equipment(PSE) via the second physical interface using the second communicationprotocol.
 9. The unified LOM of claim 7, wherein the second physicalinterface comprises: at least one twisted pair wire.
 10. The unified LOMof claim 7, wherein the second communication protocol includes at leastone of a group consisting of: a 10BASE-T communications standard; a100BASE-TX communications standard; a 1000BASE-T communicationsstandard; and a 10GBASE-T communications standard.
 11. The unified LOMof claim 1, wherein a first PD controller from among the multiple typesof PD controllers is configured to implement a first level of PoEfunctionality, wherein a second PD controller from among the multipletypes of PD controllers is configured to implement a second level of PoEfunctionality, the second level of PoE functionality being differentfrom the first level of PoE functionality, and wherein the universalinterface is configured and arranged to enable the LOM to be selectivelymated with the first PD controller and the second PD controller.
 12. Theunified LOM of claim 11, wherein the universal interface is configuredand arranged to enable the LOM to be selectively mated with the first PDcontroller and the second PD controller without requiring redesign ofthe LOM.
 13. A unified LAN-On-Motherboard (LOM) that is implemented aspart of a Powered Device (PD) of a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) system,comprising: a LOM; and a PD controller coupled to the LOM via auniversal interface, the universal interface being configured andarranged to enable the LOM to be selectively mated with multiple typesof PD controllers.
 14. The unified LOM of claim 13, wherein theuniversal interface comprises: a physical interface configured andarranged to couple the LOM to the PD controller; and a communicationprotocol configured to govern a communication between the LOM and the PDcontroller.
 15. The unified LOM of claim 14, wherein the physicalinterface is a serial interface.
 16. The unified LOM of claim 14,wherein the physical interface is a parallel interface.
 17. The unifiedLOM of claim 14, wherein the communication protocol is anInter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) protocol.
 18. The unified LOM of claim13, wherein the PD controller is configured to monitor operationalparameters.
 19. The unified LOM of claim 18, wherein the PD controlleris configured to communicate the operational parameters to the LOM viathe physical interface using the communication protocol.
 20. The unifiedLOM of claim 13, wherein a first PD controller from among the multipletypes of PD controllers is configured to implement a first level of PoEfunctionality, wherein a second PD controller from among the multipletypes of PD controllers is configured to implement a second level of PoEfunctionality, the second level of PoE functionality being differentfrom the first level of PoE functionality, and wherein the universalinterface is configured and arranged to enable the LOM to be selectivelymated with the first PD controller and the second PD controller.
 21. Amethod for communicating operational parameters from a unifiedLAN-On-Motherboard (LOM) that is implemented as part of a Powered Device(PD) of a Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) system, comprising: (a) monitoring,by a PD controller that is implemented as part of the unified LOM, theoperational parameters; and (b) communicating the operational parametersto a LOM that is implemented as part of the unified LOM over a universalinterface, the universal interface being configured and arranged toenable the LOM to be selectively mated with multiple types of PDcontrollers.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the operationalparameters include at least one of a group consisting of: a voltage ofthe PD; a current of the PD; and impedance signatures of the PD.
 23. Themethod of claim 21, wherein step (b) comprises: (b)(i) communicating theoperational parameters to the LOM via a physical interface using acommunication protocol configured to govern a communication between theLOM and the PD controller.
 24. The method of claim 23, wherein step(b)(i) comprises: (b)(i)(A) communicating the operational parameters tothe LOM via a serial interface using the communication protocol.
 25. Themethod of claim 23, wherein step (b)(i) comprises: (b)(i)(A)communicating the operational parameters to the LOM via a parallelinterface using the communication protocol.
 26. The method of claim 23,wherein step (b)(i) comprises: (b)(i)(A) communicating the operationalparameters to the LOM via the physical interface using anInter-Integrated Circuit (PC) protocol.